Our Games - GJ112 Schatzgraber and ASL 288 All Roads Lead to Rome

Dan and I were back in the ASL saddle again this weekend. My regular STL opponent always takes off November and December, so this has freed up Fridays for Dan and I. So with any luck we'll play two scenarios each weekend up until Christmas. I would get in my 96th and 97th games of 2022. I should finish the year with over 100 games played, but it's unlikely that I'll exceed last year's total of 126 game 

Our first game would be a playing of the latest Grumble Jones Halloween scenario GJ112 Schatzgraben. This scenario is based on the experiences of the German Weather Station "Schatzgraben" that was located on the Alexandra Island.The German meteorology team would occasionally break up the tedium by hunting the seals on the island. It gave them something to do and provided some additional food for their otherwise sparse diet. These hunting expeditions would inevitably lead to collisions with the other seal predator...Polar Bears. 

The Germans would shoot the bears and add their meat to their rations. But the Germans would fail to cook the Polar Bear meat well enough and suffer accordingly to parasitic infection. Trichinellosis would affect the entire team and force their evacuation back to Germany for medical treatment.

The scenario is 8 turns, but plays fast (2.1 hours at most). The Germans win by collecting at least two kills - seals and/or Polar Bears and then exiting the meat off the north board edge. The Russian player wins if the Polar Bears successfully inflict 2 CVP on the Germans.

Ground snow is effect along with a mild breeze that can produce falling snow on the wind change DR. The Russian get 8 seals and 2 Polar Bears. These beasts begin the game cloaked and as long as they retain concealment, can stay cloaked. The Germans have an 8-0 and 3 x 2-4-7's on skis with 3 x Ahkio sledges for hauling their meat back to base. The Polar Bears will go Berserk if fired upon and/or if they are downwind of Germans transporting a fresh carcass. I would experience both of these as Dan's Polar Bears came after my German Meteorologists. 

And now for Dan's Pre-Game comments:

"The seals and polar bears must inflict 2 CVP or greater.  You get the first movement to put the polar bears in position to attack the Germans.  If the polar bears can catch the Germans on skis, they get an extra -2 in CC.  this combined with the -1 for being "Japanese" and the -1 if they conducted a Banzai charge could be as high as -4.  Hopefully the polar bears can get the CVP before the Germans load up on seal meat."

The Russian player places the Seals and Polar Bears randomly by Sniper DR from Hex 27Q10. The Russian player also moves first. The Russians have Winter Camo so the Seals and Bears can retain concealment/cloaking by assault moving. On Turn 1 - the Seals and Bears can move up to 6 hexes as the Germans are not yet on the board. It's critical that the Russian player take advantage of this and move as far away from the Germans as possible. Force the Germans to come to you and burn up precious turns trying to corral your seals...while you try and position the Polar Bears to strike the unwary Germans.

Turn 1 German - I move on - at this point, I have no idea what's what. My plan was to sweep up the one unit on the far left...and hope it was a seal. I had no idea that both Polar Bears were already in my grill.

Dan tried to maintain his concealment so only assault moved and then advanced. This allowed me to catch up to the targeted unit and get into close combat. It would be a seal and we would take it down. I now had one of the two carcasses I needed to win the game. I would field dress the carcass in the next fire phase and then load onto an Ahkio in movement phase. My two units on the left had gotten off their skis. But on the right, my CX boys were still on their skis. It would be a fatal mistake.

My 8-0 was busy field dressing the seal carcasses as a Polar Bear approached. My CX boys on the right were also under the watchful eyes of a Polar Bear.

Wind Change DR would cause Falling Snow.

My CX boys on the right would make another terrible mistake. They would fire at the concealed Polar Bear and it was now free to Banzai Charge them. The other Polar Bear was downwind from the seal carcasses and was also free to Banzai Charger the 8-0 and 2-4-7. 

My CX 2-4-7 didn't have a chance...the Polar Bear had a -5 in CC against them. They died and Dan would roll a one on colored die, so the Ahkio was destroyed as well. Dan had tied the game. He had one of his two CVP's and I had one of my two carcasses.

 

My 8-0 would manage to get a K2 result on the other Polar Bear as it entered the hex. Dan would roll a 6 and the bear was dead. The other Polar Bear...covered in the blood of my half-squad now moved towards my 8-0 and the scent of seal carcass. 

As the Polar Bear approached, my 8-0 and 2-4-7 succeeded in getting a KIA on the bear. With that it was game over. Dan couldn't get any more CVP points and I now had 3 carcasses to move off the board. We had finished the game in 4 turns and just under 30 minutes. And yeah...it was fun. The Russian player has some challenges, but can also lead the Germans into a trap, if things fall into place. The German player has to avoid shooting at anything and not dragging carcasses with Polar Bears downwind, which is a challenge by itself. I have to say that I enjoyed the scenario quite a bit. I thought Dan had me as the second bear closed with my 8-0. Rolling three down two is what saved me as I rolled a 3. It had been that close.

***Remember...no animals were harmed in the playing of this scenario.

 

 

And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:

"The plan did not work.  The Germans rolled a 3 on the moving polar bear and got a KIA.  And the second polar bear was also killed with a 3.  Just before entering CC with a ski unit.  Well played by Grumble Jones for the win.  This scenario is very fun for both sides to see if they can get the VC without too many surprises.  Worth a short game.  My thanks to Grumble Jones for a great game!"

Okay...now for a shameless plug for Schatzgraber to be included as a "Mini" for the 2023 Texas Team Tournament Ferocity Fest to my pal Rick Reinesch!!! Now hear out me Rick....this goofy scenario plays in under an hour and I've already figured out some of the Phrases to be yelled out during game play.

Russian player initiates Close Combat = "YUMMY ESKIMO PIES"

Russian player win Close Combat - "DIE NANOOK!!!"

German player initiates Close Combat = "TIMES UP YOGI!!!

German player wins Close Combat = "MEAT'S BACK ON THE TABLE BOYS!!!"

And I can come up with a patch of figurine to commemorate playing this unique Ferocity Fest experience!!

I think it could be huge Rick!!!

Our second game of the weekend would be ASL 288 All Roads Lead to Rome. Designed by Mark Pitcavage, this scenario covers the actions in Rome as the Italians announced an Armistice with the Alles and the Germans quickly responded to lock down the country. This scenario has a lot of unique aspects to it. The map orientation is pretty cool and presents some interesting tactical choices for both the Germans and Italians. The victory conditions are equally interesting. Both sides to arrive at victory with a variety of choices. The Italians also have a very interesting Reinforcement process that feeds troops into the battle. And beware, as after Turn 5, the German player may force the Italians to take a TC once during the game. Units failing the TC must head north and exit the map if they are capable. So the Italian player would do well to keep his units far from the north board edge...especially with 6 morale.

Of late, Dan and I have been trying to play all the remaining "core" ASL scenarios. We have been battling through the Hollow Legions' scenarios. This can be a grind at times, because not every scenario appeals to us. Unfortunately, this scenario was one of those. This scenario was in Action Pack 3 Few Returned. I had always skipped past it due to its size. Lots of stuff over many turns and over a large battle area. 

When Dan suggested we play it, I was like..."ok...yeah...it's time". I liked the premise and some of the unique aspects of this scenario. I didn't like being the Italians. I wrongly assumed that they would get stomped on in this scenario. I would be pleasantly surprised. 

One last comment would be around how to play this scenario. Dan and I both concluded that this scenario is one you probably should play more than once, just to really understand how to win it.

As the Germans, Dan would command Fallschirmjaeger-Regiment 6, Fallschirmjaeger-Division 2. Dan's force would consist of 17 x 5-4-8's, and 3 x 2-2-8's led by a 9-2, 9-1, 2 x 8-1's, a 7-0 and a 6+1 with 2 x MMG's, 4 x LMG's, a 50 MTR, an 81 MTR, 2 x Panzerschrecks, a 37L AT Gun, 105 RCL, 2 x Trucks and a Kettenkrad.

As the Italians, I would command elements of the 21 Divisione Fanteria "Grantieri di Sardegna" and Reggimento "Lancieri di Montebello along with other units that arrive as reinforcements during Turns 3-6. My initial force would consist of 5 x 4-4-7's, 7 x 3-4-6's and a 2-2-7 led by a 9-1 and 8-1 with 2 x MMG's, 3 x LMG's, a 45 MTR, a 75* ARTY and two tanks. During the game, I would receive the following reinforcements (Turns 3-5): 2 x 7-0's, 6 x 3-3-6's, an 8-0, 4-4-7, 2 x 3-4-6's, and 2 Armored Cars and a tank. Not too shabby!!

As I stated earlier, I really found the map to be both interesting and well done. I liked how Mark put it together. I have always been a fan of Mark's AP2 Few Returned. I fell like Mark really nailed the historical feel for the plight of the Italian Army in Russia and in the Mediterranean. 

And now for Dan's Pre-Game Comments:

"The Germans must defend the bridge and push to exit.  The initial group will set up to defend the bridge while the reinforcements come on to push to exit.  Hopefully the Italians can be stopped and take some casualties."

So, the victory conditions need to be studied. Understanding them will help you determine your defense. The Germans set up first as the Italians are the attackers in this scenario. The Italians win the game if they have control of any of the three bridge hexes, otherwise various CVP, and EVP calculations at game end determine the winner. The German player can exit on the Y1 road on Board 7 or through I1 on the north edge of board 3. One catch...the Germans will only get 1/2 VP credit if they take the west board edge exit. 

My defensive strategy was very risky. I placed all of my 4-4-7's, both leaders and all of my machine guns on the west side of the river to control it and attempt to control of it. My remaining troops and armor would be guarding the road north on board 3. This was risky, because I had way of rallying my 3-4-6's in the north. My hope was that Dan would be slow to attack to the north and give me time to funnel reinforcements into that area.

Turn 1 Italian - on the west side, I advance three of my 4-4-7's (each with an LMG) to move towards Dan's two squads holding the bridge on that side of the river. On the east side, I fire my ordnance to no effect except to break my the 20L MA on my light tank. 

Dice rolls would be fairly typical in this game for Dan and I. Dan would roll 5 snakes and around 4 boxcars. I wouldn't roll snakes and would roll a few 11's with one breaking the 20L AA on the light tank. Dan's breaks would be much more severe as he would MALF both of his mortars and never repair them for the duration of the game. Even worse...he rolled the 12's back to back in the same fire phase.

The dice gods giveth and the dice gods...giveth!!

Turn 1 German - Dan's first of two reinforcement groups enters the game. This would be the first scenario for either of to have a Kettenkrad in the game!!! Bucket List checked!!!

Dan would move his reinforcements quickly up the road.

On my next movement phase, I would send my light tank to mess with Dan's Germans as they neared the village area. On the west side, my squads prepared to advance against Dan's concealed 5-4-8. The 7-0 and 5-4-8 with an LMG in the foxhole by the bride had met with disaster as the LMG broke, the 7-0 would be killed and the squad broken and forced to rout across the bridge, where they would die.

Small things continued to afflict Dan's Germans. His 9-1 would be wounded by a Sniper round.

With all of his forces now in the battle, Dan continued to drive towards the bridge. My 9-1 and 8-1 with their MMG's would prevent anyone from reaching the bridge.

My armor reinforcements arrive.

As Dan's reinforcements struggled to cover ground on the way north, I was able to rapidly pour forces into the north portion of board 3. Each group of reinforcements augmented an already strong position. 

On the west side of the river, I finally screwed up the courage to move my two 4-4-7's with LMG's adjacent to the concealed 5-4-8. Dan would roll badly and only pin one of them. In Advancing Fire, I would break the 5-4-8...and just like that the west end of the bridge was now open for the Italians. 

Dan's MALF'd mortars would continue to hinder his ability to soften up the Italians. My forces continued to grow on board 3 as my boys on the west side of the river mopped the broken 5-4-8 and took our first prisoners. 

As we wrapped up Turn 5 - Dan decided he had enough for the day and gave the concession of an Italian victory. With his mortars MALF'd, his infantry struggling to get up the road and into the fight and the loss of the west side of the bridge...was just too much for Dan to want to continue the fight. The fun factor had been overtaken by the grind. While this is an interesting scenario, it wasn't as much fun as some other scenarios. It's slow to develop and the low odds shots in an urban setting make for more frustration than gameplay joy. The slow buildup of Italian reinforcements also compounds the German problem on board 3. Dan had moved his forces at full tilt and was still a turn away from having them play any kind of role in the fighting. And the Italians were going to take complete control of the west side of the river and eliminate any chance of the Germans crossing there. So, I thought Dan's concession at this point made sense. The momentum had shifted to the Italians and the Germans were looking at suffering too many losses to secure enough EVP and CVP to offset them.

Just before his concession, Dan had managed to knock out my light tank and a 5-4-8 in the Board 3 village had eliminated a 3-4-6 in CC. It was at this point, that Dan commented that he had finally figured this scenario out. The Germans really had the edge in the fight for Board 3. And given my risky setup, a stronger effort there might well have swung the game to the Germans.

My thanks to Dan for a great game and a lot of fun this weekend...especially enjoyed playing my goofy Schatzgraber scenario..it was a lot of fun!

For the moment...Roma was Italian...but the future would be less hopeful as the Germans locked down the country and the brutal battles for the Italian Boot went on for nearly two bloody years.

And now for Dan's Post Game Comments:

"The plan did not work.  The Italians set up strong west of the river and were able to block that exit.  The reinforcements took a very long time on foot and the Italians were able to put a mob of blocking troops in the way.  Well played by Grumble Jones.  This scenario is a pillow fight with the elite Germans able to take the fight early to the Italians.  The Germans need to keep the pressure on.  My thanks to Grumble Jones for a great game of ASL."

That's all for now. 

Dan and I will be back next week for more smoking ASL action!

We will see you then!